Meet Joe Black

One of my 5 favorite movies of all time!

The movie that is the most likely to have in a heap on the ground.

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

Entertaining movie, great script and actors.

One of my top 10 favorite movies.

Before you judge me as some Shakespearean literary nut or a lost and tortured soul – please hear me out – this movie is a must see! My words cannot adequately express the emotions I felt while watching ‘Meet Joe Black’. The characters, while portrayed as individuals in a struggle with themselves, together provide a compelling story that left me a teary eyed emotional wreck. I don’t know how many ‘heartstrings’ we’re supposed to have – but I can tell you – each one of them was individually tugged, at different times in this movie. As a father of three girls, now all adult women, it made me realize – how woefully inadequate I have been as a father. Bill’s relationship with Susan, his daughter, is the one I have longed for my entire life – that’s not to say I haven’t felt all the same things in my heart – I just found myself unable to express them. To see it - brings tears to my eyes – making me realize how much I have missed – and worse yet – how much my daughters have missed – time stands still for no one. The love relationship between Joe and Susan, is one that most of us have felt at some point in our lives – for me – the love relationship that ‘feels’ the closest and most dear in my heart – is the one that never happened. A six year old girl that approached me – starting a conversation – wanting to be my friend and me being emotionally ill equipped to respond – we still managed to develop a friendship – a friendship lasting until our Senior Prom – with each of us going our separate way. Fifty years after our last slow dance – she has no idea how my heart still aches for her. The third relationship is the most relatable to me – between Allison and Quince. This relationship has the husband being all in – emotionally invested in his wife. There are times where he is called on to be her support and he ‘delivers’ every time – providing exactly what she needs. The part that’s not so obvious – he ‘gives’ her strength – strength that he himself does not possess – that’s true love – providing something to your spouse that you have not yet been able to figure out how to get it for yourself. This movie hits all the ‘high notes’ for me – and if it missed one – that one has yet to be revealed to me. I can’t give it a higher rating – perfection is rarely achieved!

I tried. I really tried because the movie was highly recommended to me. I gave it about 1/2 hour before calling it quits. I admit I am no fan of Brad Pitt. After watching his one dimensional bland performance where few of his facial expressions matched the scene I will remain unimpressed. The characters presence at the family dinner table or the boardroom were were painful to watch. His character behaved like someone just dropped out of the sky and I couldn't swallow that Bill, a wildly successful business man, managed these embarrassing moments virtually untouched and unscathed. I might have been more convinced if Joe Black didn't act like an alien and had a tad bit experience on earth dealing with humans.

This film is a masterclass in cinematography, acting, and subtext. On the surface, Meet Joe Black appears to be a slow-paced romance with philosophical undertones—but beneath that exterior lies a profoundly spiritual meditation on life, death, timing, and the rare kind of love that changes everything. The acting is exceptionally challenging, and the cast—especially Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt—deliver performances that are quiet, vulnerable, and deeply layered. Hopkins in particular gives one of the most dignified portrayals of a man facing the end with clarity, grace, and love. This is not a film for casual viewing. If you’re watching passively, you’ll miss it entirely. But if you’ve ever lost someone, truly loved someone beyond reason, or stood at the edge of your own mortality—this story might not just move you… it might mirror you. One of the most underrated films ever made.

This is a rarity, a remake that far exceeds the original in every dimension. “Death Takes a Holiday” was a stiff 1934 B&W film in which Death gets the girl in the end. Meet Joe Black is an unbelievably romantic story in which Death is so taken by the woman and her family that he gives her a wonderful gift in the end. This movie is a classic and a must-see.

The film is an extremely great example of how minute details in acting paired with the raw nature of the romance exhibited in the film can give a deep emotional connection to the viewer that is almost unexplainable.